In the age of the algorithm, where our ready-made playlists are informed by the other playlists we already listen to, the album can seem like a bit of an anachronism. Why leave the curation of music to a fallible human, with all their subjectivity and artistic whims, when a machine can provide us a list of music we’re scientifically assured of liking?
Maybe we’re being a little facetious. But there’s no doubt that today’s music industry feels more geared towards singles than at any point before. National Album Day, however, which returns for its fifth edition in on October 15, is all about celebrating the long-player artform, reminding us all of “the huge impact they’ve not only had on our lives but on British pop-culture as we know it”.
It’s a cause we can get behind. To mark the occasion, we asked some of our favourite artists to choose the albums that changed their lives. They came back to us with a wonderfully affirming selection, from genre-defining classics to underappreciated gems, with some brilliant stories to boot. Long live the album!
Keith Jarrett - Vienna Concert
Chosen by Fergus McCreadie
“This is the album that maybe changed my life the most. It’s a completely improvised set of music recorded at the Vienna State Opera in 1991. To me, the 42-minute opening track is one of Jarrett’s greatest achievements — he describes it as him at his most inspired. I first heard it when I was a teenager, and the way he spins the improvisation over the course of the CD was so exciting to me at the time. In that opening track, he goes from melancholy, to fear, to anger and finally to elation — all composed in the moment. The creation of the music is so artistically inspiring — not to mention Jarrett’s extraordinary pianism — and for me there’s nothing else like being taken on that epic journey by the music. It’s why I’ve constantly come back to it — it’s an album like no other.”
Fergus McCreadie Trio play Woolwich Works on November 13
Adele - 21
Chosen by Mimi Webb
“Adele’s second album has inspired me in a way no other album ever has and I have gone back to it on many occasions. I still remember the goosebumps I got the first time I listened to it. That feeling has shaped me as an artist and a songwriter as I’m always trying to create music that moves people. There are few artists that can make you feel this connected with their music and allow you to feel vulnerable in this way. 21 came at a time in which there was nothing else like it. It taught me to believe in myself, and my strengths as a singer and artist, and that’s something no one can take away from me. Someone Like You was the first song I started singing in public, at family parties as a kid, and to this date I still often perform it as part of my live show.”
Mimi Webb’s new single Ghost Of You is out now
The Cardigans - Gran Turismo
Chosen by Joe Mount of Metronomy
“I had a realisation recently that Swedish group The Cardigans have had a way bigger impact on my music than I’d ever previously given them credit. So, my selection is their ‘dark’, trip-hop influenced album Gran Turismo… their OK Computer. The album’s production is totally wild, I say it beats OK Computer and several subsequent Radiohead albums for its progressive production alone. But more than that, it has wonderful songs. Beyond the lead single My Favourite Game, my personal favourites are Hanging Around, Marvel Hill and Junk of Hearts. Long live Swedish pop superiority!”
Metronomy’s latest album, Small World, is out now
Lauryn Hill - MTV Unplugged No. 2.0
Chosen by Lisa-Kaindé Diaz of Ibeyi
“I remember the first time I heard Ms Lauryn Hill’s MTV Unplugged album. I was at home, sitting on my mother’s armchair, the one that is facing the window. I remember the music flowing out of my headphones as tears kept falling down my face. I was alone with her music, she took me in. Every time I listen to it, I feel incredibly lucky that such groundbreaking beauty was recorded. It takes such bravery to share the depth of your heart. She only used a guitar and her voice, she talked and sang her truth. It is one of the most honest, naked and exposed I had ever seen an artist. And between the songs and the goosebumps, between the tears and the smiles, between poetry and silence, I understood how music heals both the one that creates it and the one that listens to it. Suddenly I felt a presence in the room with me; Mum had come back from a quick errand. She looked at the tears in my eyes and asked me: ‘What happened?’ I replied: ‘EVERYTHING, LAURYN HILL CHANGED EVERYTHING.’”
Ibeyi’s new single, Juice Of Mandarins, is out now. They play KOKO on November 14
Destiny’s Child - Survivor
Chosen by Nova Twins
“This album was incredibly significant, as it helped us navigate our way through growing up. Destiny’s Child gave us role models to look up to as young black women, teaching us how to be strong and confident. That’s why Destiny’s Child will always hold a special place in our hearts. As a record, Survivor had a very fresh sound, with a sped-up R&B vibe alongside interesting beats and amazing harmonies.”
Nova Twins play Electric Brixton on November 12
Björk - Debut
Chosen by Sinead O’Brien
“If you had asked me last year the answer would have been different. This year, something about Björk’s music connected with me on a deep level. It fits. I took a deep dive back to the beginning and found Debut. Over a series of works and eras, Björk has developed and expanded her music and identity; the creator and characters who write the songs, the worlds and immersive environments that hold the songs. Debut, of course, was the first imprint and a mark that has had a truly unique and lasting impact on music since it hit in 1993. My favourite tracks are Violently Happy and Human Behaviour but Venus as a Boy and Big Time Sensuality are equally important and vital on the album. The introduction of storytelling on top of these beats and her signature sort of off-kilter arrangements are first heard here. The album is such an exciting statement of intent and in retrospect it did lay the groundwork for what unfolded for Björk. I like to think of the album in the context of its release during the era of grunge and britpop. The jazz, modern electronic and classical influences blended with Björk’s melodies and narrative really didn’t sit alongside anything else — and definitely didn’t reference what her peers were doing. She followed her own voice and instinct from the beginning. This is what I really love and find genuinely inspiring about Debut.”
Sinead O’Brien plays Lafayette on October 17
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
Chosen by Murkage Dave
“I never grew up with any kind of guitar music. My mum literally used to fast forward Eddie Van Halen’s solo on Beat It. In the mid-Noughties, I was living in Manchester and my Scottish girlfriend put me onto Silent Alarm, probably the first rock record I ever connected with. Suddenly I was singing in my speaking voice and listening to Gang of Four and Joy Division. I later learned Bloc Party were from the same part of London as me, and one of them went to my school. Sometimes you’ve got to take a trip up the road to find your way back home.”
Murkage Dave’s new single, Choose Your Own Adventure, is out now. He plays Islington Assembly Hall on October 29
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Chosen by Matt Thomson of The Amazons
“The album that changed my life came from a performance that changed my life. It was 2007, my first Reading festival. I went on the Friday and soaked it all up. No tickets for Saturday. At some point that evening the TV was turned onto the BBC coverage. Instant confusion. Is that a band? The word doesn’t seem to fit the chaos and joy on the screen. Ten-plus people, on fire. Where did they come from? A carnival of colours and sweat, of pain and life, bursting out of my TV, reverberating around my quiet suburban cul-de-sac. Words appear on the bottom of the screen. “Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies)”. Game over. HMV on Monday and Funeral is mine forever. The album is scrappy but lush. It almost sounds like the confines of the lo-fi production are creaking under the weight of the wall of sound, much like those great Motown and Phil Spector records of the early Sixties. The strings evoke a deep longing, unexplainable but instantly knowable. The lyrics tackle politics and religion and love, all played with the bite of The Clash. To a 13-year-old from Reading, ready to receive nostalgia, heart-on-sleeve emotion and unbridled spirit, it sounded like the truth.”
The Amazons play the Roundhouse on October 20
Amon Tobin - Supermodified
Chosen by Jay Russell of Yard Act
“When I was growing up, my parents listened to a lot of alternative electronic music. I remember the first time I heard this album and it completely blew me away, I’d never heard anything like it. The sonic palette of this album still hasn’t been challenged to this day, in my opinion. So many organic and wildly processed sounds all combined so fluidly into an absolute masterpiece of an album. It is truly a beautiful listening experience with something new to find with each listen.”
Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones
Chosen by James Smith of Yard Act
“My dad used to play this in the van when I was a kid and I was genuinely terrified of it. I would look at the cover wondering which of the three laughing freaks on the front was singing on which song, because I didn’t realise the different voices were all coming from the same man. Nothing on that record sounded like it was supposed to. Especially the drums. The pistons, the oil drums, the bells, the bones. He’s incredibly cinematic, and this was him discovering his knack for horror, but it’s not without humour or heartbreak. Soldier’s Things was the culmination of every trick he had up his sleeve in one brutal outpouring.”
Yard Act play O2 Forum Kentish Town on December 1
Marvin Gaye - What’s Going On
Chosen by YolanDa Brown
“People tend to say music and politics should not go together; Marvin shows us exactly how to do it. His lyrics are drenched with such a powerful message, his vocal delivery on this album is just flawless, as his beautiful melodies surf the most delicious musicianship. The album is as relevant in the Seventies as it is now and inspired my last album, Love Politics War. Marvin Gaye was my specialist subject on Celebrity Mastermind, and after researching his journey I listened back to the album and appreciated his genius even more.”
YolanDa’s Band Jam visits Portsmouth and Brighton on October 28-29
Chronixx - Chronology
Chosen by Priya Ragu
“From the moment I decided to choose music, this album magically found itself in my hands. This was the first time I heard Chronixx’s name. The record is a no-skipper, an uplifter and a pure love record. I was new in New York. I was exploring new spots every day and this album was my soundtrack to that journey. It’s been a while since I felt so moved by both deeply sad and joyfully uplifting music. I had to DM him on Insta and show my appreciation for his work (the last time I reached out to an artist like that was at the age of 16) and he was kind enough to reply.”
Priya Ragu’s new single, Adalam Va!, is out now
Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Chosen by Pip Millett
“This is such an important record for me. I was literally a baby when it came out, and it was always on when I was growing up. I’d say it was this album that got me into music, as it feels like it was engraved in my brain from before I was choosing what I wanted to listen to. It holds a special place in me, and will always be an influence whether I’m thinking about it or not. It’s timeless music, and to this day is one of the best albums I’ve ever listened to.”
Pip Millett is an ambassador for National Album Day. She plays O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on November 8
50 Cent - Get Rich Or Die Tryin’
Chosen by bbno$
“This is easily one of my favourite albums of all time. Of all the songs on the tracklist, 95 per cent are absolute hits — it is one of those albums you can just run front to back without ever having a second thought about skipping a song. My newest album, bag or die, is fundamentally modelled on 50 Cent’s album as, for the first time ever, I tried to just lace a project with songs that I personally think are 10/10. I am excited to put my album out, hopefully 50 hears it and cries tears of sweet joy!”
